March 2005
Reveal-period imagery
GameSpot's March reveal coverage documents the earliest public presentation around the Walk of Game event. These records belong at the beginning of the visual chronology.
Pre-Release
Screenshots
Before release, screenshots and footage moved through magazines, E3 coverage, GameSpot, Sonic fan sites, and official promotion. This archive is for separating what can be dated and sourced from what merely looks different.
Evidence before comparison
A screenshot can look unfamiliar without proving that it came from a distinct build. Shadorux only treats an image as evidence of a pre-release difference when its date, publication context, or companion coverage supports that conclusion.
Period previews are especially useful because they preserve work-in-progress presentation. E3 material stays labeled as E3 material; magazine screenshots stay attached to their publication; later gallery copies are not assigned original dates without provenance.
Known screenshot groups
Spring 2005
Magazine preview sets
EGM #191, GamesMaster #159, Nintendo Official Magazine UK, Nintendo Power and other publications preserved substantial screenshot sets. Their issue dates and scan provenance make them useful dated evidence.
May 2005
E3 build imagery
GameSpot and PSX Extreme documented a playable work-in-progress version at E3. Screenshots or video frames tied to those reports can be analyzed as E3-era material without assuming they represent the final game.
Late 2005
Official-site and launch imagery
The Japanese microsite grew through the year, adding screenshots, movies, characters, stages, weapons and vehicles. Late campaign assets provide a useful comparison point against spring material.
What counts as a build difference?
Documented
A source explicitly describes a feature, mechanic, object, stage element, interface state, or presentation detail that differs from retail.
Visually demonstrated
Two dated, provenance-backed images clearly show a material difference and are comparable enough to support the observation.
Not enough by itself
Different camera angle, compression, platform, aspect ratio, promotional framing, unfinished lighting, or a later gallery upload date.
Current documented observations
The E3 build was explicitly unfinished
GameSpot's May 19 hands-on and PSX Extreme's May 20 preview are direct evidence that the public was playing a work-in-progress version. Any visual comparison using those materials should be framed accordingly.
Traditional Sonic movement remained visible
PSX Extreme described running, Spin Dash, jumping, tunnels and ramps while discussing the unusual weapon mechanics. This documents how the E3 build was being presented, even before image-by-image comparison.
The public asset pool changed over time
Sonic Channel's update chronology proves the official Japanese site expanded its character, stage, weapon, vehicle, wallpaper and movie material across 2005. That means a chronological screenshot catalog can be built without pretending every asset launched at once.
Comparison work still to do
- Catalog each screenshot with original or earliest-known date, source, platform if known, dimensions and holder.
- Group visually identical screenshots across mirrors so one image is not mistaken for several different builds.
- Identify screenshots tied directly to E3, specific magazine issues, the Japanese official site, or late launch press material.
- Compare only like-for-like scenes before claiming geometry, object-placement, HUD, texture, lighting or model differences.
- Record uncertainty when an image's original date or build cannot be established.